Premise
Previously, any state ID was sufficient for flights. But now, you may have to have a passport (or form of identification other than a state ID) to fly commercial, either international or domestic!
These forms include: passport, permanent resident/green card, or military ID. Note that previously several state IDs did not meet the minimum security standards and were in danger of not being valid:
Update – Get Your Passport
However, the Real ID Act’s compliance requirements had an extention until October 10th 2017, with a new grace period until January 22, 2018. This is only three months away – so to be safe, prepare on getting your passport anyway.
Thankfully, you can check here at the government website to see if your state were granted another extension. Virginia is the only one (so far) with a confirmed extension until October 10th, 2018.
My home state of California says it is under review. For now, and until January 22, 2018, driver’s licenses and state IDs are still valid.
What is Real ID?
Per the Department of Homeland Security website:
Secure driver’s licenses and identification documents are a vital component of a holistic national security strategy. Law enforcement must be able to rely on government-issued identification documents and know that the bearer of such a document is who he or she claims to be. REAL ID is a coordinated effort by the states and the Federal Government to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued identification documents, which should inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification.
Thus, I expect more security, as well as more headache. People will show up, and be turned away. What a pleasant thought.
Conclusion
Lastly, I would keep an eye on this site and other travel news. The last thing you want to do is get caught come January without an updated ID or passport and lose out on your flight. Although, airlines should notify you of these required changes, so I am not too concerned.
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My state is not compliant (Oklahoma). Our state legislature has no intention of paying for the upgrade in the method of ID validation required for Real ID. An extension will just prolong things. I always use my TWIC card for ID at airport security. Most of the time I’m sent through without a thought after they see it.
You’re smart about it, however it makes it more difficult for those who are not.
Arizona has made this unnecessarily complicated for people in the state (stemming from pointless, tinfoil-hat-wearing paranoia in the state legislature).
While AZ is technically listed as “compliant”, that only refers to “Voluntary Travel ID” cards issued optionally by the state (which cost $25, as opposed to $12 for a regular replacement). The “Voluntary Travel ID” card is the only one compliant with Real ID. If you ask for a regular AZ drivers license, they now come printed with the words “NOT FOR FEDERAL IDENTIFICATION” and are not Real-ID compliant. To make matters worse, AZ licenses have extremely long expiration dates – my current one expires in 2053. Which means the vast majority of people in the state almost never have to renew their license, unless they change addresses. AZ has a Real-ID extension until October 2020 – so there’s no immediate danger of everybody being unable to use their licenses to fly, but unless something changes, we’ll be facing the same problem in three years.
This seems crazy – and a cash grab!